Psycho Pass : New era
by Vanessa van Hault
Summary: "Well, be a little patient. Besides, this time, the game will end exactly as I desire it to. " Makishima said. "How?" Kogami asked breathlessly. "I will win. You will lose."
1. Intro

Japan, 2113

"...The blood and genetic material collected belong to the suspect, Shōgo Makishima. Shinya Kōgami was not found despite a thorough search of the area. He is assumed to be missing in action and Shōgo Makishima is presumed dead. For more details, please refer to the attached reports of the crime scene..."

Excerpt from the submitted report of Akane Tsunemori, Unit One Inspector.

"…2113: The day when a video with the true form of Sibyl System is leaked online…"

Japan, 2116

"…The Sibyl System's last prophecy came true. The peace that had been so long enjoyed by the populace did not last once the system fell. Japanese society quickly degraded into a state of anarchy as the government attempted to revert back to the pre-Sybil justice system. The police force struggled with the unprecedented crime rates; areas with especially high criminal rates were literally cut from the rest of the world as a result and could only be accessed with special permission. The government had to declare martial law.

In these difficult times, the Japanese people turned to the only thing left for support: religion. The number of religious followers sharply rose in numbers. At the same time, a rise in art whose impact…"

Excerpt from "The Last Days of Rome: The Rise and Fall of the Sibyl System" by Wakada Hirohito.


	2. Chapter 1 O brave new world

The sun was about to set. Exhausted and feeling his head about to explode from the intensity of work for the day, Kougami entered the parking lot and got into his car. As though by habit, he placed his hands onto the wheel and stayed this way for a few moments, staring straight ahead.

He then struck it.

"Damn it Akane!" He cursed in frustration before taking a deep breath. He then took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and inhaled, calming down in the process.

After staring into the mirror for a while, he stepped on the accelerator and drove out of the parking lot.

As he passed through various areas of the city, Kogami slowed down a bit. The city had become a violent place but in the evening, destruction to buildings and property was especially pronounced. The homeless and all sorts of criminals were running amuck with improvised torches due to the lack of electricity in the area and in the evening, blue sparks were thrown menacingly at the electric fences that were raised around them to keep them contained.

He sighed and recalled the first month of chaos that prevailed when the true form of the Sibyl System was revealed. After the unsuccessful attempt of his former unit to capture Makishima, he himself had to flee. To his surprise, however, as he was preparing to leave the country, a video showing the real form of the system was placed online the next day.

As a result, the whole country learned who defined their destiny. Unprecedented chaos then ensued. Civil war broke out between supporters of the system and those who resisted the system's judgment. Cities were engulfed in flames one after another. Those who had been downgraded by the system into inferior citizens of society were punishing the system without worrying any longer about the consequences. Lastly, since the police weren't able to suppress this surge of violence, martial law was imposed.

After a week, Kogami received a message through the secret channel of his former unit from Akane. Desperate, she was asking him to return. Now that the system had fallen, he was valuable to the police for his abilities. Above that, he was now free. Both he and his former colleagues Tomomi Masaoka and Kagari Shusei became honorable and important members of the new order.

However, his relationship with Akane never recovered to the way it was before. It was as if an invisible wall has been tossed between them. Hadn't she forgiven him for disobeying her and following Shogo Makishima alone? Kogami never learned the reason for this. Perhaps it was because Akane was free even while the system was in place while he wasn't. Nonetheless, the fact remains: Akane became the head of their unit and since then their relation became strained.

Since then, three years had passed. Yet, society was still suffering and experiencing the consequences of the apocalypse. Entire areas had to declare a state of emergency, crime rates peaked at all time highs, and those areas that were too much for the government to handle had to be fenced in with electric fences to prevent the violence from spreading.

The country had returned to its old system of justice. Gradually, the places that were used during the system's reign as prisons and reformatories opened and let their prisoners to go. These people, whose psycho pass had labeled them an enemy of society, were able to adapt and assume key positions in order to reduce public shocks. The new society, in turn, embraced them with fervor. Some even managed to become very famous and respectable citizens thanks to the works of art they created in which they criticized the system.

Alongside all of this, now freed from the system's totalitarian control and able to experience freedom again, many citizens began to practice religion. A multitude of religious sects and fake religions were created in a short period of time, some attracting crowds of worshipers who found this to be a way of relief and comfort.

Kogami sighed and rubbed his forehead.

His gaze fell upon the golden ziggurat than sat beside the Nona Tower and was the temple of the strongest sect at the moment, The Moment of Truth.

Their leader, Souga Toyo, had decided to build it there so that it would be visible from any point in the city and at the same time, serve as a reminder and symbol for the permanent passing of the reign of the Sybil System. Every day in the morning, anyone could hear their unintelligible chants from the external speakers.

"Is this the society you were dreaming of? Is this what you wanted?" Kogami asked his personal demon, Shogo Makishima, in his mind.

Despite the fact that things turned out for the better for both him and for all the other detectives who were mistreated by the system, he never stopped blaming that man even for an instant – that one man who possessed both intelligence and an unrivaled inclination for crime. Not even for a moment did he doubted that Makishima was the one who had uploaded the video in order to destroy the system.

He could still remember clearly the last time their paths had crossed:

Their last exchange of words…

The fact that he had injured him and followed his trace but never found the body…

Despite the fact that since then he had not heard anything about him, he had no doubt that Makishima was alive and that one day their paths would cross again.

Pulling another cigarette from his pocket, Kogami remembered that he needed to buy some food for the dinner. Without a second thought he stepped on the accelerator and vanished into the twilight.


	3. Chapter 2 In the darkness we are

** Chapter 2: In the darkness we are all the same**

**Author's note: It's a very busy period of time for me and my beta reader, therefore. i'm still more than thankful to the work that my kawaii Songstress on the Starry lake does! In fact i believe that her effort in all this is bigger than mine. Anyway, as i usually say, not only my vision for PP fan-fiction was prety clear, but i also had that crazy idea so each chapter was named after a movie, book or random quote from any of the languages that i speak. Anyway, enjoy your reading... Ps. Thank you all for your time!^^**

Kogami opened the door of his flat, holding a bag of groceries under his arm. Despite the fact that his income allowed him to live even in area A, he preferred to stay in the quite neighborhood of area B, next to Shinjuku.

As he pushed the door open, a dark shadow passed by his foot. Looking around and not seeing anything, Kogami concluded it to be a trick of light in the darkening in space in the building. He entered his apartment and was about to close the door, when he heard footsteps.

"Excuse me, but have you seen my cat?" A woman's voice reached his ears.

Turning his head to the source of the voice Kogami froze. In front of him, standing barefoot was a girl, more or less at the same age as him. Her jet-black hair is tied in a simple bun and her dark eyes were staring at him carefully, seemingly absorbing every ray of light around them. She was wearing a black t-shirt and a pair of blue shorts.

He opened his mouth to answer but a "meow" coming from the depths of his apartment, caught his attention. The girl smiled and brushed past him inside, leaving Kogami to watch her speechless as she caught a fat, one-eyed cat with an eye-patch. The cat wagged at his tail demandingly.

"Black Admiral!" She said critically. "How on earth did you managed to escape?"

She then approached Kogami who was watching the scene in silence and smiled as if she was doing the most ordinary thing in the world.

"Kira," she introduced herself stretching out her hand to Kogami. However, he remains perplexed so she grabbed his hand and shook it for him with fervor.

"Kogami," said the man with a voice that barely got out of his mouth.

"I'm very sorry for any inconvenience I caused you," Kira said with an even wider smile.

She then took his shopping bags and looked inside.

Shaking her head, she comments, "I also see that you haven't eaten yet and you just came back from work! Why don't you come over to my place for dinner? I live one floor above. I'll wait for you there, okay?"

Not waiting for an answer, the girl, with her cat in her arms, headed up the stairs.

Only when Kogami heard the door of her apartment close, did he closed his own door. He leaned against the wall, feeling dizzy. What just happened seemed to be pulled out from a movie.

"Kira… How come I've never seen her before? But of course….I work a lot and she definitely doesn't run up and down searching for her cat all the time…Kira…" Such thoughts were swirling in his mind.

Five minutes later Kogami was standing outside Kira's apartment, holding a bottle of wine. Prior to this, he didn't even know he had it but it was obviously left behind after Kagari's last visit.

"What am I doing here?" He thought to himself. He could feel the beat of his heart rising, but his hand had already pressed the bell.

"It's open!" He heard Kira answer cheerfully from inside. "Just be careful so that the cat won't run out again, okay?"

Kogami pushed open the door. The smell of food reached his nose and afterwards, all his thoughts focused on analyzing the space around him.

He was standing in a middle of a huge room which seemed to be, pretty much, the entirety of her home. In the corner, he caught sight of a piano. A huge shell, full of books separated the room in two. Everywhere Kogami's eyes could reach, he could see books. Thrown down, arranged in stacks, other books open to a specific page and others with bookmarks, old and new…

Kogami stood for a while, absorbed by the sight of the interior of his neighbor's residence. He was so absorbed, in fact, that before he knew it, Kira was standing beside him and was observing him silently. Kogami raised his eyes and opened his mouth to greet her when his glance fell upon a huge black-and-white painting that hung opposite him. For some reason, he hadn't noticed it in the beginning.

Realizing what the painting depicted instantly, his eyes widened. The painting depicted cells. Namely, it depicted the old facilities of Sibyl that imprisoned those whose Psycho pass had labeled them as latent criminals.

He turned to Kira. However, she wasn't standing there anymore. In her place was Makishima, smiling haughtily with his hand stretched forward.

Kogami's hands clenched into fists.

"You, who turned your solitude into a weapon." Makishima says.

These words rang louder and louder in his mind. As he took a step forward, Kira's voice brought him back to the reality.

"Kogami?" the girl called his name.

Kogami blinked. He was standing in the middle of the room. The wine bottle he had brought with him had fallen from his hand and now lays shattered on the floor.

"It's okay," Kira said calmly.

Her hands were crossed in front of her chest and her face seemed serene but her face had gone white. "I understand your shock. This is the place where I was raised. I have it always in front of me to remember who I am..."

She made a grimace and indicated to him the door with a nod of her head. "It's totally fine if you want to leave and never see me again…"

The buzz in Kogami's head started to subside. He opened his eyes and took a deep breath. The world around him began regaining colors.

He looked up to the girl.

"No," he responded with a smile. "I know exactly how it feels like. So, what's for dinner?"


	4. Chapter 3 Sunt lacrimae rerum

**Author's note**: One of the most beautiful phrases ever written by Virgil, S_unt lacrimae rerum et mentem mortalia tangunt_ These are the tears for things and mortal things touch the mind... We are human after all...

I have to ask you to applaud my dear editor, **Songstress from Starry lake**. She's doing such a great job! Anyway, hope you like it.

PS. **Огромное спасибо всем русскоговорящим читателям!Я знаю как вы любите Психо Паспорт! Спасибо за ваше время!**

**Chapter 3: S_unt lacrimae rerum et mentem mortalia tangunt_**

Searching his pockets for cigarettes, Kogami realized, to his surprise, that he had left them home.

"Damn" he inwardly cursed.

Behind him, a circumspect cough sounded.

Turning his head, Kogami saw that all this time, Kagari had been sitting behind him, watching with a seemingly innocent smile.

"Well?" Kagari asked innocently. Ko knew that the question was hiding much more than it seemed though. "You forgot your cigarettes and you have that silly, little smile on your face all this time. You don't plan to tell me about it, do you?"

"I'm afraid I don't get you," murmured Kogami. "Silly, little smile?"

Over their heads the TV was showing the news headlines. Kogami grabbed the remote control in order to avoid Kagari, but he came and sat directly in front of him.

"Who is she? Do I know her?" He asked looking straight into his eyes. "You know that you can't hide those kind of things from me!"

Kogami opened his mouth to answer, but right at that moment, the news is temporarily interrupted by an advertisement. With some surprise, which he managed to hide, he stared at Kira who had appeared on screen, advertising a social event.

Kagari's eyes followed his gaze. Within a second anger mixed with surprise depicted on his face. He remained fuming angrily.

"Don't tell me! Where did you meet her? You, amongst all the men in Tokyo?"

"She lives in my apartment building…."

"In your apartment building? The one that I helped you to find?" Exclaimed Kagari. "I am the one who should be in your place Ko!"

"But I don't even know who she is!" Kogami protested." Her name is Kira. We only had a meal together. And by the way, what is she doing on the TV?"

"Yeah, right!" Kagari retorted, puffing. "Your mind must be elsewhere since morning! You just had a meal together. It's more than obvious that you just fell in love with her! And I'm pretty sure that you even didn't bother to find out more about her identity! You don't know her identity, right? Or can you prove me wrong, Kogami?"

Kogami shrugged.

For a few moments Kagari looked at him, unable to believe his eyes.

"Geez," he finally said while he was shaking his head. "She's one of the most famous world-wide musicians in the post-Sibyl era. Her compositions are considered to be "drugs" for the mentally unstable ones. Her story is quite similar to mine. She was held in juvie during Sibyl's since the age of five since her mother was diagnosed as a latent criminal. Her father, unable to handle the slander, committed suicide. From then on, 'til she was "released" she didn't speak to any living person. Afterwards, though, it was proven that she learned five languages and martial arts during that time. As for her fame…well, she acquired it with her musical compositions and her tragic story helped her along."

He paused for a moment. Then, he asked enthusiastically, "Well, what kind of person is she?"

However, Kogami had no time to respond or to think about what he just had heard. The door of the office opened with a clash and flashing with anger, Ginoza yelled, "Get yourselves ready. We got a job to do. Now!"

Arriving at the abandoned building, Kogami found that passersby who had already gathered, were watching the police's moves. The area had been already blocked by the police since it was useless to conceal the crime. News organizations broadcasted everything; sometimes even exaggerating the scene. Since people didn't care anymore about their stress level, anyone could deny that they had acted suspiciously.

Approaching the entrance, Kogami soon realized that no one else except him, Kagari and Ginoza were there. It was one of the many privileges that their unit now enjoy after the fall of Sibyl. They always arrived first to the scene of crime in order to conduct their examinations undisturbed.

"What do we have here?" He asked as his eyes scanned the whole place closely.

The building was quite old and it was obvious that even during the Sibyl's it wasn't habitable. Both windows and doors were missing. Graffiti were written on the walls with pungent smells permeating the air.

Kagari stepped aside silently to show him something in a corner.

"Does it look familiar to you?" He asked.

As he was approaching, Kogami felt as though time had rewinded. Before his eyes, positioned next to each other, in praying position with arms raised towards the sky, were five male bodies, plastinated in the same way that was distinctive to both Kozabura Touma and Oryo Rikako. The only difference this time, was that the bodies were brutally assaulted. The empty eye pits gleamed threateningly in the twilight. The raised edges of lips pointed towards the lack of teeth and were adding an expression full of agony and fear to their faces. The hands below the wrist were cut from all of them, while deep scratches were visible in all bared points of their body.

It was obvious that the perpetrator tried to keep a sense of a diffused pain on their faces, and at the same time was trying to hide the identity of the victims.

Kogami stepped back. He glanced at his co-workers whose faces were waiting for him to draw a conclusion.

The name automatically rolled from his mouth, "Makishima."


	5. Chapter 4 Here we are

**Author's note: For some reason the first chapters are my favourite... It's a very sad story... In fact, what would you do if out of nowhere you had your freedom back? How would you feel? What would you do?**

**I would like to thank like 1000000000000000 times my crazy editor Songstress. As i always highlight, her effort is bigger than mine in that story... Have fun, cheers!^^**

**Chapter 4 : «Here we are, trapped in the amber of the moment." (K. Vonnengut)**

Once Kogami arrived at the office, he walked directly to the archives in which the unsolved cases from Sibyl's days were stored. He pulled out the file containing everything that pertained to Makishima Shogo.

His eyes ran rapidly through the contents of the file. Kagari's voice saying goodbye to the others as he was leaving sounded like background noise to him.

Kogami sighed.

Kagari's adaptation to the freedom didn't go so smoothly. While he himself and Masaoka dealt coolly with Sibyl's fall, Kagari, who was marked a latent criminal since the age of five, wasn't able to get used to the idea that he was free even after three years. Sometimes Kogami noticed that he was cringing during his speech while they were out and other times he found him sleeping in the police station as if he was afraid to return his home.

However, the one who was going through the worst of it all was Ginoza. While his father was a detective, their relationship was more or less nonexistent. Now that Masaoka had become one of the best of their unit, Ginoza not only avoided him, but also started drinking as if he was trying to drown his guilts in the alcohol.

Kogami closed the folder.

He moved towards the door when Akane's voice reached his ears. "Kogami, will you come for a moment to my office?"

Upon entering the office, Kogami felt an earnest desire to leave the place by running. Everything inside reminded him of Sibyl's era. The place was an exact replica of the office of their chief, Joshu Kasei, at Nona Tower. Akane herself had made it that way as if in the back of her mind she substituted her.

However one object which existed in the office for a purely decorative reason served as a reminder that the country was now under a different regime. Behind Akane's back, a Dominator was hung on the wall to further remind those present of Sibyl's fall.

"Please close the door," Akane said gently, while her eyes were running over her computer's screen.

Kogami obeyed her and sat in front of her.

"I received the chemical analysis of the substance that was used for the bodies' plastination." she continued without looking at him.

Her eyes turned to his face. She remained silent for a few moments. She finally said, "What do you think?"

"It's exactly the same substance that was used three years ago, right?" Kogami answered.

"You already knew that, didn't you?" Akane asked.

"Makishima," Kogami replied simply.

Akane remained silent as her eyes were scanning his face. Then she got up and went to the window.

"We haven't heard anything about him for three years. And now you say that he appears out of nothing? What are the chances that he is alive? Why _now_?" She said with her back turned to him.

"Why not?" Kogami responded. "His body was never found."

"It seems a little unrealistic to me." Akane replied. "Maybe you are intimidated by your own desire to find him and kill him if he's really alive without being accused for a criminal activity?"

"Akane," Kogami interrupted her, "if you remember, three years ago we were in a same situation. You thought that this man was a creation of mine and Sasayama's imagination until he killed your friend in front of your eyes!"

Akane shuddered and for a moment Kogami regretted his words but he was unable to restrain his anger any longer.

He adds, "And if you think that it's someone who mimics him, I can assure you that you are totally wrong! All the cases which remained unsolved since Sibyl's era are secret and there hasn't been a leak from our section."

"Maybe," Akane said reluctantly, "Someone who knew the way Makishima acted well and has his reasons to kill people…"

"…And at the same time used to be a hunting dog during Sibyl's has done that?" Kogami finished the sentence before she did. "That's exactly what you think, right?"

Akane didn't reply, but the her body language said that Kogami's words had hit the mark.

"I had a much better impression of you," he said softly. "No one who hasn't experienced hatred or enough pain has any right to judge them in the way that you just did."

"Maybe if we could scan everyone's Psycho Pass, if Sibyl still existed… " Akane started reluctantly.

"Enough. They are human. They are doing their best in order to adapt. Not one of them was born as a criminal. Sibyl imposed upon them her judgment. I think there's no point of discussing it any further," Kogami said, getting up. "I, personally, can warrant for each one of them. I would entrust my life to them during a battle!"

As he was closing the door behind him, Akane's last saddened words reached to his ears, "I wonder when we became so different…"


	6. Ch 5 Memories are worst than bullets

**Chapter 5 : " Ι could tell you it's the heart, but what is really killing him is loneliness. Memories are worst than bullets". C. , The Shadow of the Wind **

Author's note: Wow... I don't believe that we are here... First of all i'm very very very very thankful to my amazing beta-reader, Songstress... And you should be really thankful too!:) Anyway.. I think that now the really party starts... So enjoy the reading wherever you are and thank you for your time!

Kogami slowed down as he arrived at his apartment. The events that had happened during the day swarmed about his mind.

Akane's face…

The corpses in prayer positions…

And then Kagari…

'Her story is quite similar to mine' his colleague's words echoed through his thoughts.

'Kira….I have to speak to her and tell her that I learnt about her past.' he thought idly as he was walked in a zigzag in his apartment. He then cursed the source of his information. 'Damn you Kagari! I'm pretty sure that the moment she learns I'm a detective, she'll suspect I researched about her past'

Some minutes later, Kogami was standing outside the door of Kira's apartment. The doorbell sounded. But neither her voice, nor steps behind the door were heard. It would seem she home.

'Guess I'll leave a note.' he thought. He then realized something. 'Damn it, I don't even have her phone number and now, out of the blue I have to apologize to her. Damn you Kagari! You are such a pain in ass sometimes…'

Following this, his promptly returned to his own apartment.

'I'll lie down for a little…' Kogami thought, dropping onto the bed. Soon after his head touched the pillow, he fell into sleep.

He was back again in the abandoned factory where he had confronted Makishima. The grey walls were rising up from every side. The sound from crops rang in his ears and the smell of oats filled his nostrils.

A form raised in the distance. Makishima's razor flashed in the twilight. His voice ringing…

"Everyone just lives in their own little cell, and the system tames them by giving them each their own personal serenity. Tragic, isn't it? After three years, what exactly do you think has changed? We think we are free, but this feeling of freedom is nothing but a mere illusion. Both our past and the present social conditions turn us into system captives maybe more than ever…"

The factory then vanished.

Kogami looks around to find himself floating in the middle of nowhere. Thousands of white, empty masks turned toward him and began to surround him. The mouths of the masks gaped at him menacingly. Then, as if by order, malevolent laughter filled the near empty space around him.

'No… Not again…' thought Kogami helpless. 'NO!'

"Kogami? Are you there? Kogami!" sounded Kira's voice from outside his door.

Kogami gushed. Sweat dripped from his forehead. "That dream again…"

"Kogami?" Kira called again, this time accompanying with a strong bang on the door.

''Kira… I shouldn't let her see me like this…'

The door opened as Kira was raising her fist to strike it once again. She smiled in her unique familiar, disarming smile.

"I heard screams and I panicked" she said, stepping inside without invitation. "But now that I think about it, it must be just my imagination, right? In any case, you look awful…"

Unable to answer Kogami stood watching as his neighbor went all over in his apartment. It was like a small hurricane had invaded his space; Kira wasn't sitting still for more than two seconds at any single location. She was curious about everything. Rather than annoyed, Kogami found it rather cute.

Kogami caught himself smiling.

"Silly, little smile huh?" he murmured. 'Is this love? Could I fall in love with someone in such a short time?'

While he was lost in his thoughts, Kira had reached the table where he had previously left the folder from work. Before he had a chance to make a move, Kira noticed it.

Puzzled, she lifted her gaze toward him.

"You're a... Cop?" she asked surprised. She then changed her mind. "No. Don't answer. I could tell what you must be thinking by the look in your eyes. If you wanted to tell me that you're a detective and that you've looked up stuff about me, why such a rush? You could tell me that anytime…"

"Kira…" Kogami began. "Let me explain…"

"No. You're right." she sighed. "I'd better stop making silly assumptions. All this time I am the only one who talks. But, whatever you want to tell me, I'm pretty sure it has to do with my past. So I'll ask you a question which I hopefully will not ask ever again: Can…"

She paused for a moment.

"…Can I trust you?"

Feeling his heart pound loudly, Kogami shook his head. "I would like it… more than anything in else".

Kira stared at him for few moments.

"You're telling truth" she said eventually. "Your pupils are expanded while the edges of your lips are trembling. You cannot control yourself at all at this moment. The first thing one learns living in the world of silence is to read others. So, what was it that you wanted to tell me that it couldn't wait?"

Kogami became dazed. The way that Kira acted clearly showed that she was a person who had a totally different approach to things than anyone else that he had ever met in his life, both during and after Sibyl's .

'Her story is quite similar to mine' he recalled Kagari's words. And then he saw it…

'She's in defense. She's exactly like Kagari. Not sure yet about her place in this world. So I have to be honest with her, no matter what the cost…'

"Indeed, I did find out some information about you, but not intentionally. A colleague at work…somehow found out I know you…and…" Kogami's managed to say.

Kira watched him silently and severely. Her eyes, however, revealed that she was really amused.

"Enough." she interrupted him. "Now that you know about my past and who I am…are you planning to tell me to leave your place and never…"

"I was enforcer during Sibyl's time. I know what it's like to be marked by the system. I killed people and among them were probably people who, under the current social system, wouldn't kill even a fly…" he replied.

His words fell like a bolt of lightning. Kira stared stunned at him. She opened her mouth as if about to say something but withdrew her gaze.

"Weird…" she murmured. "The society in which we were once parasites and discriminated against by everyone else now embraces us and treats us as if we are long lost children that were just found…all while we are dangling our head with condescension, saying thank you, and being careful not to bite the hand that feeds us…"

She pauses.

"Say Kogami… Do you feel like this from time to time, even if you don't admit it to anyone?"

She took a step towards him. As she did, she accidently knocks over the folder on the table. The folders contents then scattered on the floor, causing them both to rush to pick them up.

Kira's hand lands on a particular photo and her eyes opened wide. She went pale.

She lifted her eyes and asked, "Why are you searching for Makishima Shogo?"


	7. Chapter 6 We shall meet in a place

**Chapter 6 We shall meet in the place where there's no darkness... (G. Orwell , 1984)**

**Author's note: I won't say much. Just please, applaud my dear beta-reader... She's doing such an amazing job and i'm really never getting tired of mentioning it.. Anyway, enjoy. Thank you for your support and your time.. Cheers!**

"Kogami…" she uttered his name. "Why you won't answer?"

He looked at her. The world around him seemed to spin. 'Who is she? How on earth does she know Makishima? And how much more does she knows…?'

One of his questions escaped his lips. "Who…are you?"

Kira approached him and grabbed his hand. To his surprise her hands were cold, almost frozen but this helped him somehow to calm down. Her eyes were staring at him with caution but there was no trace of fear or panic.

"You could arrest me, couldn't you? And then you'd learn everything you'd need to learn. Yet, you don't seem to want to do so…" she noted. "What exactly are you expecting from me?"

" To tell me the truth…"

Kira sighed.

"I was five years old when my mother started becoming a threat according to the system. I was too young to understand what was happening when my father tearfully begged her to go through treatment and she stubbornly refused. She never managed to become an important member of the society and at some point she began to turn for the worst. Her psycho-pass got clouded to the point where she couldn't even leave the house. It was then that she decided to leave the country. One morning she just wasn't there. She left without a goodbye, without leaving a note. My father, not being able to endure the humiliation, committed suicide with a simple kitchen knife. As for me, there were no relatives who would agree to raise me. I was a reproach for the others and above all for myself; everyone believed back then that criminal tendencies were genetic. Ultimately, I was marked by the system myself.

Staying in the institution since the age of five I believed that the whole world was my enemy. I thought, "What kind of system is this? It takes your life from your own hands and uses criteria that's beyond human logic." I was wondering for a long while why it was torturing me. I stopped talking to people and grew up with the idea that one day I'll be the one who will destroy the Sibyl System. My psycho-pass eventually grew above 400 and I became unwelcomed everywhere.

At the age of eight, I discovered music and so I dedicated myself to it. From the moment my hands touched the piano keys I didn't stop writing music for a moment. Funny, isn't it? How the pain of one can become a pleasure and delight to others…

But the worst came when the system ceased to exist. Before, those who were incarcerated lived with the idea of revenge. What were we supposed to do now that we are free? How should we behave since our entire life was spent facing four walls? And so, we stepped out from our confines wearing masks of happiness while entering a society that, until recently, scorned and spat on us.

One year later, when I became rich and famous, after my past became nothing but a pity and sympathy of others, a door bell rang one morning. I wondered, 'Who can it be?' and then answered the door.

A man with platinum blond hair and amber eyes stood in front of me with a smile.

I told him, "If you are looking for Aki, you came to the wrong apartment"

I was about to close the door, but he then said, "Now, madam, you are the prisoner to an emperor. For your honor and your state, he will use you and your followers nobly."

The world around me then lost its colors. I was still in the premises of the Sibyl System. Saturday, the day he came and taught us lessons in literature… His eyes stared straight ahead with a dreamy glance, as if he doesn't belong to this world. After that, I felt darkness covering everything around me…

When I opened my eyes I realized with surprise that I was still in bed. My head was aching. I then heard the man say, "I didn't expect my appearance would cause you such a consternation."

When I looked at him, he explained to me, "You fainted so I brought you here."

"Makishima-sensei…" I murmured his name. I sat up feeling as though everything around my was spinning. "I would prefer you to call me by my name. I'm not your teacher anymore if you recall. And by the way, did the system manage to bring you down?"

I got up and went to the kitchen. I poured some water for myself and tried to put my thoughts in order. Every time I told myself that I managed to somehow get away from my past, it stood even more threatening in front of me as it was mocking me. I sighed. Eventually, I realized it was impossible to escape from it, no matter how much I wished for it.

"'If the system managed to bring me down?' No. Until the very last moment I hoped that I would be the one to destroy the Sibyl System."

Makishima then bursted into laughter. "You kept those kinds of thoughts inside you all these years but remained silent. But look now at your now. You are now free to say and do whatever you want. Tell me… How do you feel?"

"Empty. This feeling of freedom is nothing but an illusion. This society isn't better at anything compared to the society that existed under the system. What's our goal? Who can tell us how to live and what to do now that we are free? This is something that cannot be told by anyone. Even the system itself failed to guide properly since the desires of people are so complex that even they themselves cannot understand what is that what they really want."

Makishima got up and went to the window.

"The city changed" he murmured. "So did the people."

"Oh, they never change."

"I didn't mean a change for better. Rather, they changed for the worst"

My headache was pounding. "Makishima… Why now?"

"Because after three years of absence I realized that sometimes what we are looking for is right in front of us, Kira…" he said while approaching me. "I see that you've become very good at analyzing the minds of others. It would be totally pointless lying to you…"

His hands caught a lock of my hair. "I want to stay with you. Without you being obliged to love me."

"What is this?" I murmured. "Is this some kind of a game?"

"Everything is a game. All this time I refused to feel any positive emotion. I believed I didn't deserve to be happy."

"Nobody deserves so much misery…" I answered.

"And because I want to be honest with you till the end. Someday I will leave the same way I came. I'm playing a game, a batch of which started a long time ago and is still not finished. Then you are allowed to hate me however much you like…"

"I accept it…" I whispered.

…Six months later, Makishima kept his word for which I was prepared from the beginning. He just disappeared. I respected his wish but wasn't able to hate him. He used to say that both of us are carrying some kind of darkness that cannot be understood by the mere mortals." Kira finished.

She turns back to Kogami, "Now you know a piece of my past that will never be known by anyone else. The fact is that Makishima tried to create a replacement for him. Whatever he did, he believed that when the time would come, I would become his successor. He always had a talent in seeing in others aspects which they themselves could not distinguish…"

'So that's it…Is she the one and only person that Makishima ever loved truly?' Kogami wondered.

"Now that you've learned the truth, tell me, why are you searching for him?" Kira asked.

"I believe that he is behind a series of crimes." Kogami replied. "But besides me no one else agrees with me so far".

A cold smile then appeared on Kira's face, causing Kogami to shudder. He could swear that it was Makishima standing in front of him. "Well this is about Makishima. If he doesn't want to be caught, you'll never catch him. But… I think I could help you find him."

"Kira… As Makishima did once…So do I… I don't want to lure you into trouble." Kogami responded softly.

"I don't think you have a choice. If Makishima has put something to his mind, he'll just do it. Especially now… He'll do his best."

"Why?" Kogami asked, surprised.

"He's running out of time. He's dying."


	8. Chapter 7 What's past is prologue

**Chapter 7 "What's past is prologue" W. Shakspeare, The Tempest**

**Author's note: Fate.. What an interesting word, isn't it? Past, present, future... Everything's connected in a way we will never understand... Anyway, i'll mention one more time my amazing beta-reader , Songstress on the Starry lake for the amazing re-editing... You should really be thankful to her to!^^ Anyway, enjoy...**

Once Kogami reached on the site, he stated that he was the first of their group who had arrived. On the way to the department, he got a call from Kagari who was asking him to head as soon as possible to an abandoned house, in Hiro, an area that once was one of the most advanced but after the Sibyl's fall was demoted to region C.

In front of the ramshackle house was a torii. 'What is this place?' Wondered Kogami. The last words of Kagari emerged in his memory while he was giving him instructions on where he had to go. " Who would carry to a temple five plastic bags?" and the connection was cut off. And since no one else was with him at this moment, Enforcer decided to enter to the building.

The air was very heavy. For a moment Kogami had an awkward feeling that he was transferred to the abandoned factory in the manner that it appeared at his dreams. His hand grabbed his gun while every muscle in his body was put in a ready state.

While following the dark hallway, on walls of which were hung faded images of persons unknown to him , the Enforcer reached to a small patio. He stopped as deep among the trees he could distinguish five still forms.

He hadn't any chance to many another steps as his buzzer on his wrist began to beat. Kogami brought the screen closer to his eyes to see that the person who was calling was an unknown abonnement.

Behind him, in the hallway he heard steps and whispers. Turning his head Kogami saw that Kagari and Masaoka had arrived and once he exchanged glances with Kagari, he turned to the first corridor he met in order to response to the call. "Damn! Exactly the same with the previous one! Cut hands and feet!" reached his ears ecstatic voice of Kagari before he lost the yard from his sight.

The buzzer continued beating persistently. Once Kogami found first empty room, he entered it immediately and replied. "Hello?" "Kogami…"

An explosion occurred into Kogami's mind. Pictures before the Sibyl's fall flooded his mind. The abandoned subway line, the city in flames, the old factory and in the center of everything a form of that man for whom he would reach the depths of Hades to ensure that he was dead for good.

"Makishima" came out from his mouth. He slammed firmly on the wall and dust rose around him. The space around him flooded with Makishima's laughter. "Are you having fun yet?" " I was pretty sure that you are the one behind the murders, you and no one else. What do you have this time on your mind?" " So this is the way to welcome your old acquaintances?" Responded amazed Makishima. "I thought that after three years that our paths were separated you would have a whole lot of questions." I have just one" responded dryly Kogami. " Why you didn't die?"

Makishima burst into laughter. But to his big surprise, Kogamin noticed that something was missing from it. It was as if the Sibyl's fall had taken away all the liveliness from it and added a new element that didn't exist before. 'He has lost… His will?' Wondered Kogami as he remembered Kira's words. 'He is dying. He doesn't have much time.' Sounded her words in his head.

"You think I would stop? That there was something that would stop me from taking down the Sibyl? I would subvert her even from Hell! I had a backup plan to run away just in case you would reach too close to stopping me! There was a vehicle that would take me away from the factory in case something went wrong. Nobody would stop me from awakening the society and showing them that their justice is nothing, but a farce.."

"And now?" said Kogami feeling out of blue being worn down by an unusual tiredness. " Are you happy? Is this what you really wanted? What exactly did you achieved when you let the others know the true form of Sibyl? Is the world that you were dreaming about?"

"And here you are…. Actually, you had more than one questions Kogami Shinya" Makishima replied smugly. "But I can assure you that I'm not the one to blame for the leakage of video with Sibyl's true form because I never had this video at the very first place. You have to find someone else to blame for. And after all, which is the difference between the today's society and the society during the Sibyl's reign after all?"

"The only difference is the fact that for Sibyl you were a criminal, yet a valuable one. While now, all that matters is killing you. You are nothing but a trash, without any value to our society anymore".

"Quite right Kogami san. But you see, no one else like me knows the rules of this society. The world needs some thrill every once in a while. " " Is this what you keep telling to yourself every time that you're killing an innocent citizen?" Asked Kogami while feeling his anger flaring up again. "Innocent? But they are not innocent. not at all. You should be proud for me that finally I impart justice exactly the way you perceive her purpose!" Justice? That word certainly sounds like a mockery when you pronounce it!" "Well… Be a little patient… Besides… This time the game will end exactly as I desire it to. " "How?" asked breathless Kogami. " I win. You lose."

The line went dead. Kogami left staring on the screen for some moments. And after taking a deep breath, he moved back to his colleagues.

"What long face is that?" asked Kagari once he saw him. " You looks like you've seen a ghost! " 'If you only knew…' crossed Kogami's mind. "Anyway, it's exact the same with the previous case! Chopped wrists, without dentures, no eye pupils… And I'm sure that the substance used here is the same in Specimen's case…Whoever is doing this, he is freaking good… Say Kogami…" and he looked directly at his eyes. " Do you have any idea what's going on here?"


	9. Ch 8: Sooner or later

**Writers Note**

Oi Oi! It's been such a long time since the last chapter but i quess i was too busy with many others projects! First of all i'd like to mention my_** AMAZING new beta-reader, Shouta Izukai**_. She made an amazing job and you can also check her stories here and at Fictionpress as well.. Secondly... I'd kindly ask you, if you have free time to check the original work i'm running on Fictionpress. Currently i'm working on two stories. 1) s/3147289/1/Dreams-Hunters and 2) s/3147408/1/The-Labyrinth. Id' be awesome if you'd check them! Feedback is more more MORE than welcomed!

**And for the end...TWO DAYS TILL' THE BIG PSYCHO PASS ANNOUNCMENT! I dearly wish we could het a glimpse of tralier for a new season.. That would be awesome... Anyway... Thank you for your time and support! ^_^ Enjoy!**

**"Sooner or later we've all got to let go of our past." Dan ****Brown, "****Deception ****Point"**

As he was approaching his office, Kogami felt overwhelmed by an irresistible fatigue. He had imagined many times how his first encounter with Makishima would turn out. The scene was repeating again and again inside his mind to the point that it had become so vivid that he couldn't separate it from the reality.

But life proved once again that no one could have it all. Today's conversation with Makishima just proved that he had remained the same demonic mind he used to have during the Sibyl, and that he would stop in front of anything or anyone in order to cause as much destruction he could.

Kogami sat on his chair and pulled a report sheet. For a moment his mind went blank, and he was left staring at the paper. What he was supposed to write? Would anyone believe him that this morning he had spoken to Makishima, the one that seemed to most as a ghost of the old era? Would anyone believe him or would he again be accused of being delusional and being unable to let go of the past? He continued staring at the sheet until he turned it into a ball and threw it into the garbage bin.

He got up in order to find the others when the door of Akane's office opened. She stood in the opening. "I was right." She finally said. "You came. Would you mind coming in, in order to tell me what you saw this morning?"

As he entered, for the first time in his life Kogami felt that the space didn't inspire fear in him anymore. He sat, while a strange feeling of peace spread in his body. Obviously, the change of his idiosyncrasy became noticeable by Akane, as she looked at him with a glance full of astonishment while she shook her head in a way as if she didn't believe her own eyes.

She sat towards him with arms crossed over her chest. "Well?" She asked.

Kogami shrugged. "There were corpses with cut hands while they were in a praying position. But I'm sure Kagari is preparing the report at this time. Can I go...?"

"We haven't finished yet." Akane stopped him coldly. Kogami looked at her, surprised. For the first time he heard such a rigor in her voice. It wasn't a request, but a command. "I want you to tell me who called you during the research."

A few moments of silence passed. After turning his thoughts around in his head Kogami said, "It was Makisima."

He didn't even need to look at Akane in order to understand what effect this single word had on her. Her body stretched while unconsciously she went to catch the weapon. "Makishima." She repeated, whispering.

Kogami looked her deep in her eyes. He continued looking at her until she sat in her chair. She immersed briefly in her thoughts. "Makishima…" She echoed thoughtfully. "Last time, you told me that you were sure that he and no one else are behind these murders. And now you tell me you got a call while you were on duty. If so, why you didn't inform anyone? We could find him and..."

"You don't even believe your own words. Tracking him down? If he doesn't want anyone to find him, we won't find him!" Kogami interrupted her. "Makishima managed to escape even from the Sibyl itself back when the justice system was as strong as ever! And now you think you can track him down, with what? By these means we have? Look at the weapons we use!"

He paused and took a deep breath. "Apparently these three years he was somewhere far from here, and returned intending to do what he knows better than anyone else. To cause chaos and to kill as many as he can. Our unit must find him before the number of victims will increase!"

Akane watched him with an expressionless face. But the tips of her fingers trembled, betraying her inner turmoil. She lifted her eyes, tears glinting at the edges. "After such a long time... So many years... I thought you could have more confidence in me... But you… But you still do exactly the same as you did during the Sibyl without considering the consequences of your actions! If only you knew what I sacrificed..."

"Sacrificed?" Echoed a puzzled Kogami. He stood up and bowed over the table, nailing the look in Akane's eyes. "What exactly are you trying to tell me?"

"Sometimes... Sometimes we do terrible things to protect the ones we love..." She said with a voice that trembled. She turned her face elsewhere. "I guess you wondered many times how the video with the actual form of the Sibyl was placed on the internet. And I'm sure you have accused Makishima for this...?"

Kogami's eyes opened widely. He made a step back. "No way…" He whispered. "Akane... What have you done?"

"Well, yes! I did it!" Akane shouted. Tears flew from her eyes and began to roll down her cheeks. "Me! I threw into chaos an entire society because I was so selfish and I could not bear the thought that I'll never see you again!'

Kogami felt dizzy. For a moment everything darkened around him. He looked up to see Akane tucked in the chair crying, sobbing. "By making the agreement with the Sibyl to swap you with Makishima, it didn't cross my mind for a moment that the whole plan would end up a failure. I was so sure of myself, blinded by my desire to bring you back so that I wasn't thinking about anything else... Reaching the glade where I assumed we would find Makishima's corpse, but finding only blood stains I was seized by despair. I was wondering what had happened. Were you alive? Or had you died? Nobody could say that for sure. And so there I was left with nothing but to gamble everything. I leaked video with the true form of the Sibyl to the Network. And then came the chaos..."

She raised her gaze to Kogami. "All this time I was carrying within me all that weight. The price I paid to see you again was high, wasn't it? Sacrificing an entire society to bring you back." She smiled weakly and looked up towards Kogami. "Kogami... Say something..."

By making steps without realizing, Kogami's back hit the door. Feeling his head ready to explode, he raised his eyes to Akane. "Akane… It's too late to do anything…" He mumbled with great difficulty. From where he stood he could see clearly the city stretching out in front of him and the metal fences that had fenced the most deprived areas to rise in the sky. He felt sick only with the whole idea that he was the cause of this chaos.

He threw a glance at Akane and nodded his head negatively. Then he left the office.


End file.
